Rules of the Shinobi
by alolha123
Summary: When the Shinobi Rules were written, some were meant to be kept while others were meant to be broken. Each rule has a oneshot, telling the story of those who kept or didn't keep it. Some humorous, some angsty. Some AU, some future. Nonyaoi.
1. Shinobi Rule 1: Orochimaru

So, I'm doing another multichaptered story, this time revolving around the Shinobi Rules. I did a oneshot that was about Shinobi Rule 25, and I guess I liked it so much that I decided I'm going to do a oneshot for all of the rules. But I don't know all of them, and I haven't watched the anime or read the manga for a while, so if I get a rule mixed up, let me know.

I have written out 25 rules that I've created, except for number 25. They're mostly in the order of importance, and because allegiance to the kage is the most important of the rules I've thought out, it's first.

I chose Orochimaru for this first rule. Not because I like him, I do think he's kind of weird, but because he seemed perfect for this one.

**And remember, if you don't like the person the oneshot is about, just skip ahead to one you like. All chapters can be read by themselves.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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_Shinobi Rule 1: A shinobi must always hold allegiance to their kage._

Old man, Orochimaru thought bitterly as he grabbed a stack of thick books and threw them into a bag frustratedly. He was so naive, Sarutobi-sen - no, _Sarutobi_, to believe he would stay. And even more, to believe he was actually _good_. It made him shudder. He was most _definitely_ not good, and was fairly proud of the fact, too.

He dropped a box of glass vials and tubes into the bag. He did not need to think about Sarutobi now, did he? That man favored him, there was no doubt. _What a hypocrite, _Orochimaru thought. _He favored - and may still favor - me, but those other two are so much more deserving than me_. It was not guilt that drove him to say this, but simply truth and the refusal to be connected with his former sensei.

The snake sannin's thoughts turned to some other thoughts. Jiraiya, that baka, and Tsunade-hime. A slight pang - he wasn't sure of what it was exactly - hit him then as he remembered his teammates. Mentally, he reprimanded himself for still feeling attached to them. They were former teammates now, and held no importance in his eyes.

Right?

Yes. That was right. They were simply acquaintances. Nothing more. He, Orochimaru, one of the three legendary sannin - no. He would not allow himself to be associated with those two. Orochimaru, the infamous student of - no. Neither would he associate himself with that blind old man. Orochimaru... soon-to-be missing-nin. Yes, that was it. Nothing in his title that would associate himself with the past.

As he thought this, some part of him, that aching, frustratingly soft part of him, cracked - but he shoved it away. He was going to be a missing-nin. He was going to leave Konoha, once and for all. They did not deserve him, after all. They chose that soft-hearted, naive Namikaze, for Hokage. If they were drowned in water or burned in fire, he did not care. Not one bit.

They hadn't chosen him for Hokage, so he'd just have to become a kage on his own.

Orochimaru stopped. He hadn't just thought that, had he? He hadn't just thought that because they hadn't chosen him... he'd become a kage on his own... right?

Slowly, he started to pack his bag again. Now that he thought about it, the idea didn't seem as far-off as it had been when it had sprung upon him first. What had the Academy teachers said? Somewhere along the lines of, _"If you don't see a way to do something, try another way."_ They had been referring to missions, of course, but he could apply the principle to his dream as well. It was simple, really, and Orochimaru wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. He could not - no, was not allowed to - be Hokage, so he could be some other kage.

Yes. That was it. He could - would - become his own kage, and then sneer in the face of Konoha. He would defeat Konoha, too, showing them that he could be a just as good kage as that Namikaze Minato. Orochimaru slung his bag over one shoulder, noting its weight, and took one last look at his apartment. It was dull, though it had always been. The lights were off and his worn key lay on the tabletop. He swallowed, finding it increasingly difficult to do so, then reproached himself for being so attached. It was just a room, after all.

With a decisive click, Orochimaru shut the door behind him as he walked out into the cold air. He did not shiver; most of his experiments were done in the same temperature as this, so it was not new. As he strode down his street, towards the North Gate, he noticed all of the lights were out. It did not surprise him, for it was past eleven at night, but they seemed so _unfriendly_, so _cold_, so –

Orochimaru shook himself. Did he - just think that? He, Orochimaru, soon-to-be-missing-nin? Surely he didn't. Lights off at night were a usual to him. They were not unfriendly. Not cold. They were _off_. How scary could unlighted buildings _be_?

Absentmindedly, he decided he needed a new title. _Soon-to-be-missing-nin_ didn't strike fear into anyone, except for the fact that they had passed the Academy. And that was _hardly_ fear-driving. _Yes, fear the post-Academy missing-nin!_ Orochimaru thought dryly. How about... snake... snake... snake sannin? He immediately realized the latter word, and mused over it. He would rather not be associated with the other two, but realized he had no choice.

_"As a price for letting you live... you must always refer to yourself as the Sannin."_

It was not so bad, he thought. His dark eyes fell. After he left, it would be the only connection with Konoha. Only that title, that one title. Nothing else. After all, to one who knew little of history, it could appear that his right hand and left hand - once he found them - would be the other two, right?

As he drew out a kunai and untied his hitai-ate from his head, Orochimaru realized that some memories - people, rather - could not be forgotten.

He slashed a long, decisive line across the Konoha symbol.

_So this is it... I am purposely defying Shinobi Rule number One, and am becoming a missing-nin._ But it mattered not.

After all, rules were meant to be broken.

* * *

... So? How do you like my new idea? Review and let me know. 

By the way, that quote, "As a price for letting you live... you must always refer to yourself as the Sannin.", I'm pretty sure that's a quote from the manga. Or something along those lines. Basically, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were fighting some guy and were defeated. He let them live on one condition: they had to refer to themselves as the Sannin.

Gomen nasai. These oneshots are pretty short.

alolha123


	2. Shinobi Rule 2: Team Yondaime

Here's a funny oneshot about the Yondaime's team.

For those who don't know, Namikaze Minato is the Yondaime. (If you believe Naruto is the son of the Yondaime.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

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_Shinobi Rule 2: A shinobi must always carry out the mission assigned, unless it endangers their kage._

Minato wiped the sweat from the brow of his forehead. He was dirty, sweaty, and tired - but was loving every second of the chase. He couldn't say why, except for the fact that he had been entirely too still for the last three weeks. And three weeks, in his time, was eternity.

He and his Genin team, the Hatake, the Uchiha, and Rin - who, strangely enough, was rather tight-lipped about her clan name - were supposed to chase some daimyo's wife's cat, Tora. Deciding that he had had enough watching, Minato grinned and announced he was going to join the chase.

The three Genin had face-faulted, their eyes wide and twitching, when Minato had said that. He couldn't imagine why...

He glanced behind him, sweatdropping as just now Kakashi, the fastest of his Genin, was hopping into view. Perhaps he had gone too fast... "Oi, you three slowpokes! We're wasting enough time as it is!" he called, hoping his poke at their pride would cause their speed to increase.

Kakashi, when he finally landed on his sensei's branch, gave his signature glare at the blond-haired man. "It's - not our - fault that - you can - jump so - fast - " the boy panted.

Minato laughed. "No, it's that you don't have enough stamina, Kakashi-kun!" Noticing the absence of the other two Genin, he then asked, "Where's Obito-kun and Rin?"

"They were a _few hundred feet_ behind me. It'll be a few _hours_ by the time they reach us, at the rate Obito's going." Kakashi rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Minato frowned. The last thing he wanted in his team was pride. It only got in the way of teamwork, and that was what he was trying to promote. "Now, Kakashi..." he started, but stopped abruptly when Obito and Rin came into view.

He could see they were tired and worn out from the fast pace. Obito was jumping so weakly that Minato was amazed he could reach the next branch. "Here, Sensei," Rin said tiredly as she landed on their branch, a few seconds before Obito.

Minato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I guess I went a little fast..."

"Got that right, Sensei," Obito muttered under his breath.

"I'll slow down a bit, how's that?"

"Sure, Sensei," Rin sighed, for she knew he wouldn't.

"Do we have to do this stupid D-ranked mission, Sensei?" Obito whined. They had been doing continuous D-ranked missions for... well, ever since they had become Genin.

Minato faked horror. "Obito!" he gasped. "You don't actually _mean_ you _don't_ want to do this _extremely_ _beneficial_ _mission_ for the _daimyo's_ _wife_?"

Obito glared at his sensei, and was about to respond with a rather derogatory remark when Kakashi cut him off. "Baka." the Hatake said coldly. "Shinobi Rule number Two. A shinobi must always carry out the mission assigned, unless it endangers their kage. Since this obviously does not endanger Hokage-sama, we must carry out out."

Minato frowned at Kakashi's icy remark while Obito spluttered indignantly. "You - you - you rule-following jerk! You're just as annoyed as me, _aren't_ you!"

Kakashi's face held its indifference. "I fail to see the connection. Whether you like this mission or not, we must carry it out. Your opinion makes no difference in duty."

Obito glared at his teammate while Rin tried to calm both of them down. "Now, now, Kakashi, Obito, we're teammates, aren't we?"

Minato sighed. So far his team was acting... well, to put it honestly, more like separate people rather than a team. "Kakashi, Obito, Rin, let's just find Tora and go. I'll see if I can get a more interesting mission next time."

Obito started to grumble about senseis and not keeping promises when suddenly a loud crack was heard from underneath them.

And before any of them could leap away, the branch they were standing on broke away from the tree and plummeted to the ground. Rin screamed, while the others fell stock-still in shock.

As Minato stood up from the ground, he remarked carelessly, "Well, it seems this D-ranked mission is a little bit more exciting than the others, ne?"

The only response he got was three glares.

He grinned sheepishly. _Wrong thing to say, perhaps?_

* * *

It was quiet in the mission room. Various shinobi came and left, entering for new missions and returning to report their missions. Sarutobi, behind the center table, was issuing new missions and doing paperwork on the missions. In the corner were the clients; one noticeable one was a daimyo's wife, who was sobbing rather immaturely at the loss of her precious furball, Tora. 

Noticing him glancing at her, she rose and walked over to him. "Are - are you absolutely _sure_ - that my Tora - will get back safely?" she broke off into a wail. The working chuunin winced at the sound and, using the very creative and useful _Earplug no jutsu_, returned to their work. Sarutobi sighed, and nodded yes. "I sent one of my most reliable Jounins and his team to get your cat. Tora will be fine." The daimyo's wife brightened and she ambled back to her seat. "Not that I'd care for the cat's safety," he added under his breath.

As soon as he had said that, the door to the room slammed open, and all jumped up, startled. In the doorway were four people entirely unexpected.

Minato and his Genin team, all having the same, flat expressions, were in the doorway. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were looking none too clean; in fact, dust covered much of their bodies and they were tracking mud in from their shoes. It looked like they had waded knee-high into water, too. Scratches on their face were evident.

But even worse was Minato, surprisingly enough. His expression was as flat as could be. His clothes were even _dirtier_ than his Genins', and there were even _more_ scratches. His spiky blond hair was dripping from water, and in his right hand, he held the squirming Tora by the scruff of its neck.

"Mission... Retrieve Tora... Complete." He walked - or rather, stomped - over to the ecstatic daimyo's wife, dropping the unfortunate cat in her outstretched arms. She immediately left, thanking Minato and his team over and over again as she walked out the door.

A few minutes of silence followed. Suddenly, Sarutobi burst into laughter. It was too funny. _Minato_, the famous _Yellow Flash_, outdone by a _cat_! _Imagine_! But none of the Chuunin laughed. They knew Minato did not like to be laughed at, and would not do so at the risk of their own lives.

"What - what _happened_, Minato-kun?" the Hokage asked in between laughter fits.

Minato replied in a no-nonsense, flat tone. "_First_, the branch we were standing on broke. _Second_, we had to cross a stream, in which I _fell_ into. _Third_, we had to _trek_ through _mud_. Finally, when we _did_ catch up to the cat, it deemed _me_ as its _prey_. I am never, ever, _ever_ doing that mission. _Ever_. _Again_."

Sarutobi nodded, having recovered from the laughing fit. "Okay, I'll see if I can get you a C-ranked mission next time." His lips still held the trace of a smile.

Obito nudged Kakashi's arm. "Still obeying that rule of yours, Kakashi?" he smirked.

Kakashi did not answer, but simply glared at his teammate. _I wonder,_ he thought as he smacked Obito on the head, _Did the shinobi rule writers know the horror of D-ranked missions?_

_... No. _

_Probably not._

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Like always, please review. It lets me know how I'm doing.

alolha123


	3. Shinobi Rule 3: Itachi

... I was hoping to get more reviews... Eh, to the very few that like this fic, here's another rule oneshot.

Note: I do portray Itachi as good in this fic. It was easier to write... Sorry if you don't like it. The next one's Obito, though. (And it'll be a funny one.)

Disclaimer: I own nada.

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_Shinobi Rule Number 3: A shinobi must not change or nullify their allegiance to their kage. _

It has gotten too far. So far, in fact, that he can no longer picture the clan like his younger, naive self had. Proud. Influential. Worthy. But it is not like that at all.

It is _too_ proud.

It is _too_ influential.

It is _un_worthy.

And he can no longer bear to look at it.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke. His otouto. Were children indeed the only innocent of the Uchihas?

"Nii-san? Are you okay?"

He wants to respond, maybe comforting, maybe scorning, maybe confusing. But he can't, and only stares, glassy-eyed, at his younger sibling. "Nii-san? What's wrong?" Those large, onyx eyes. He knows nothing of what is happening inside the clan. Nothing at all.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Why are you looking at me like that? Are you sick?"

A blank stare returns the concerned questions. "Nii-san! You must be sick, nii-san! Hang on, I'll get okaa-san!"

No. Not - not _that_ woman - after what she has hidden from him. _No..._ He speaks one word, one word only. His pale lips barely touch each other as he whispers the words.

"Sasuke..."

Absentmindedly he wonders whether his otouto would live to believe in this clan deception or realize the truth. A tug. A tug on his sleeve, gripping his conscious and pulling it back to reality. He glances down at the small eight-year-old boy, whose lips are pulled together in concern and eyes are squinted in careful inspection.

"What is it, otouto?" He usually spoke very little in regular conversation - _regular_ meaning anything without having anything to do with missions or shinobi work.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay, nii-san?"

He ruffles Sasuke's hair and smiles, which for him, Uchiha Itachi, is only a slight upwards turn of the corners of his lip. "I'm fine, otouto." The boy brightens; Itachi knows what is coming next, and immediately wishes he hadn't mentioned his condition. "Will you train with me, nii-san?"

Itachi flinches; that _innocent_ voice - only a _child's_ - and yet the idea of training nonstop is already drilled into his head. Typical, of the Uchiha clan. _That_ clan.

"Nii-san?" Sasuke whimpers.

Itachi lowers his gaze, unable to look into his otouto's eyes. He hates to disappoint Sasuke, but he can't. He can't train with Sasuke, because he can't take that risk. The risk that he'd be creating another weapon for the clan. A weapon, a pawn, a foothold to power - it made no difference to _that_ clan.

"Gomen, otouto, I can't today. Maybe another time." He flicks his brother's forehead with two of his fingers playfully.

"But nii-san," Sasuke whines, "You always say that. You always say you can't, and then you flick my forehead like that! Why not?" His pleading features can break most hardened shinobi, but Itachi is that hardened shinobi. The shinobi that cannot break, for Konoha and its Hokage.

"Maybe another time, otouto."

"But nii-san -"

"Another time, otouto." Itachi knelt down, so he was eye-to-eye level with Sasuke. He gave another smile, this time a genuine smile, one of those reserved for his otouto and no one else. The only one in his eyes who was truly innocent. Sasuke seems comforted by the smile, because his nii-san rarely smiles nowadays and when he does, it's a sign that he feels good, not sick.

"Now," Itachi places a hand - bandaged, from a recent mission - behind Sasuke's back and pushes him gently out of his room. "I need some time alone, otouto."

"Okay," Sasuke agrees, but then sticks his head back in the room, an odd expression on his face. "But, nii-san, you'll still train with me, right? Later? Promise?"

"Later, I promise, otouto," Itachi nods his head in agreement. His brother grins, and leaves. His light footsteps echo down the hall. Itachi unsheaths his katana and balances it in both of his hands experimentally, inspecting it for any sign of blemish. He finds a small streak of blood near the hilt, and wipes it off with one finger. There, he surveys his gleaming weapon with satisfaction, _My katana is clean._

_It is fitting, after all, for it to have this condition before I execute the start of the downfall of the clan._

_And by the time everything is done,_ he thinks as he rises from his bed_, Sasuke will have forgotten about that promise to train with me._

* * *

"Itachi... Why are you doing this?" A bleeding man, on the verge of death.

"To... test my capacity." No emotion at all. His expression is that of his porcelain ANBU mask.

"No, Itachi! I know you better - I _know_ that you don't want to do this! You - you don't want to kill me, do you?" A cough racks the already half-dead body.

A brief pause. "No, Shisui, you have always been too soft-hearted to see the evil in everyone. That is your downfall." The katana is raised to the man's neck, in preparation to kill. "You can see the clan. You can see how corrupted the Uchiha clan has become."

"No - It's not -"

"Stop lying to yourself, Shisui. The clan has been begging for punishment, and _I_ will be the one to carry the verdict out." Red Sharingan eyes spin wildly. "And the one thing I need to carry that out is the Mangekyou Sharingan. You are my best friend, Shisui, I will not lie to you."

The man's eyes widen, uncertain if that sentence was a compliment or a mere statement.

"I must kill you to obtain the Mangekyou."

His eyes widen in horror. "No, Itachi! It doesn't have to be this way -"

"Goodbye, cousin."

Blood splatters on the ground, staining the dirt dark red. The dying man utters a statement before he dies: "I... have never... truly known you... Itachi..."

Red Sharingan eyes become a pitch-black pinwheel. "No, Shisui, you have never truly known me."

But he knows that the man - Uchiha Shisui, his best friend and older cousin - never heard his last statement, for he is already dead.

* * *

Blood. There is so much of it, it was coating the walls and the floor, the ground, the furniture, everywhere.

His father.

_"My son, why are you doing this?"_ Blood is leaking out of the corners of his mouth. For once in his life, Uchiha Fugaku is helpless.

_"I see no point in answering the question of a dying man."_

His mother.

_"Please, Itachi, don't! Please, I beg of you -"_

_"This is the way it must be."_

He slits her throat before she can continue. He does not wish to take the chance that Uchiha Mikoto will say something that will make him stop the verdict.

And he continues.

Continues killing, continues ending lives one after another. And finally:

_"No, don't kill me! Please!"_

Otouto.

_"Hate me, Sasuke..."_

A cry.

_"Survive in an unsightly way..."_

A plead.

* * *

Itachi leaves the Uchiha compound that night, sparing only his otouto, the only one he could not bring himself to kill.

They brought it upon themselves... They nullified their allegiance, the Uchiha clan. Secretly, not publicly. They were going to murder the Sandaime, eventually. So he has full rights to kill them.

After all, he has full rights as an ANBU to kill those who disobey the Shinobi Rules.

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Sad oneshot... Anyway, please review! I cannot stress that enough...

alolha123


	4. Shinobi Rule 4: Obito

_Shinobi Rule Number 4: A shinobi must remember the mission comes first._

"But okaaa-san, I'm going to be late!"

"No excuses! If you had done it when I had asked you yesterday, you would be with your team now!"

"But I had duty all day yesterday! I'm a shinobi! I can't turn down _duty_ to do a _chore_!"

"The more time you spend complaining means the later you'll get to your team!"

"But - but -" Oh, what was that rule that Kakashi-teme always said - "Shinobi Rule Number Four says that the mission comes first"!

"I'm your _okaa-san_! _This_ mission comes first! And that's _final_!"

"It's not a mission -"

"Obito. Dishes. _Now_."

Obito grumbled, muttering under his breath, but picked up a dish and started scrubbing. He glanced at the huge pile of dishes on his right. This was _so_ not fair.

_Darn, Kakashi-teme's going to state one of his stupid rules again when I get there! _He stropped abruptly. _If I get there,_ he thought, expression souring.

_And Rin-chan, she'll give me one of those disappointed looks again. I don't know if I could bear that._

Scrub. Rinse.

Scrub again.

Rinse again.

Obito slammed his forehead against the large cooking pot he was holding. _I hate this! Hate! Hate! Hate!_

* * *

"Obito?" Uchiha Mikoto walked into the kitchen, noticing the unusual cleanliness. She glanced around for her nephew, wondering where on earth he was.

Snore.

Snore.

A mop of messy black hair poked out from under a pile of various pots, plates, and cups.

"Obito?" Mikoto glanced, concerned, at her sister's son. Four-year-old Itachi, who had come with her, poked the sleeping figure's form experimentally.

"Mmph..."

Young Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Okaa-san, is Obito really a shinobi?"

Mikoto sighed. "I wonder that sometimes..." She tapped Obito's shoulder. "Obito?" She tapped harder.

Itachi smacked him on the head with the butt of a kunai.

"_Ouch_!" Obito started, immediately waking from his reverie. He glared at his cousin, who was looking far too innocent for his own good. "Itachi..." he growled.

"Now, now," Mikoto sweatdropped and tried to distract the two. "I just wanted to talk to your mother. Is she here?"

Obito moodily pointed to his right, towards a hall which led perpendicular to the kitchen. Mikoto immediately walked in that direction, preferring not to hear the boys quarrel - which she was sure they would do.

After Itachi's mother had left, Obito resumed his tedious chore, scrubbing the dishes. Once he was awake, he would not be able to fall asleep again. And especially not with Itachi staring at him with those wide, blank eyes.

_Speaking of the brat -_ "Why are you staring at me like that?!"

Itachi's eyes twitched ever so slightly. "Why are you doing dishes?" he asked, a hint of incredulity creeping into his normally apathetic voice.

Obito glared. "What, haven't you ever heard of _chores_ before?" he shot back sarcastically.

Itachi stared at him.

Obito face-faulted. His four-year-old cousin was hopeless. "So, uh, what are you learning in the Academy?" he asked, changing the subject.

"History. Math. Weapon throwing."

Somehow the last item didn't seem quite right. "_Weapon throwing_?"

"Hai."

"..."

"..."

"... Uh, what else?"

"Taijutsu. Genjutsu. Ninjutsu."

"Oo-_kaaay_." _Darn, he's like a mini Kakashi!_

They stared at each other, Obito awkwardly, Itachi emotionlessly. It was so hard having a conversation between an ice block and an... well, idiot.

Too bad for Obito.

* * *

"Where is your team?"

Obito found, much to his surprise, that Itachi was not as bad as a conversationalist as he had first thought. That is, when the topic was on shinobi work. But Obito didn't mind talking about his team. "They're training. I would be over there, too, but..." his voice trailed off as he motioned to the dirty dishes on his left.

Itachi nodded, understanding his cousin's predicament. "Tell me about your teammates."

_Where to start?_ "Well, my sensei's really cool. He's Namikaze Minato -"

"Also known as the Yellow Flash," Itachi cut in, a spark of admiration in his eyes.

"Um, yeah. Well, Minato-sensei's really cool. He's always smiling, and wears this _awesome_ outfit. Then there's Rin-chan, she's really..." he trailed off, trying to describe his crush in a way that did not show his love in an obvious way. "... She's really nice." He left it at that. "Then Kakashi..." Obito's expression darkened.

Itachi noticed this. "Rivalry?" he asked, correctly guessing the problem.

"He's always so - so _stuck-up_! He's always quoting the Shinobi Rules, and he doesn't care about us at _all_!" Obito burst out angrily. "I don't know how Minato-sensei deals with him, _honestly_!"

Itachi blinked.

Obito sighed, knowing he might have overdone it. "Eh, I didn't mean to get all upset. It's just that he's so... so... _arrggh_!" Itachi blinked again.

Obito shook his head. I guess he'll never really get it.

"Inconsiderate."

"What?"

"Inconsiderate. This Kakashi teammate is always so inconsiderate."

"Yeah, that's it. Inconsiderate. Inconsiderate of all of his _'teammate's'_ feelings." Apparently talking about his rival soured Obito's mood.

Because after all, Kakashi was the genius of the Academy, and Obito was the dead last.

* * *

Kakashi tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. "Where is he?" he asked out loud, though he already knew what the others would say.

His sensei tried to placate him. "Now, now, Kakashi, I'm sure he had some occasion to go to..." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than his student.

Rin frowned slightly, but said nothing. He was grateful for that; the young Hatake would rather have eternal silence than eternal chatter. He was not one for words.

"Kakashi-kun -"

Darn. And he was hoping he'd have silence from that brown-haired teammate of his.

"Um, maybe Obito is busy. Like Sensei said."

"Hn." The unspoken went something like this: _I don't care if he's busy. Being here with his team is the most important thing he could possibly do. And he's a sissy if he can't get here on time._

Rin sighed, knowing her gentle, unspoken pleas would go unnoticed. She turned away.

"Hey all, what's up?"

Immediately three heads snapped to attention, eyes twitching. Obito was just crossing the lawn to get to them. He looked as if he had been pushed into water - soapy water, by the look of it - but otherwise was fine.

Minato's face was flat for once. "Obito, you were supposed to be here _three hours ago_."

"But - but - but sensei, I can explain!" Obito stuttered.

Minato, Kakashi, and Rin stared at him.

"Really."

"No, really, I can! You see, I was doing dishes when my Aunt Mikoto came over with my four-year-old cousin, Itachi! And, and, and he pushed me into the dishwater, and we got into a fight! And finally, Okaa-san and Aunt Mikoto scolded us for fighting! So, so, I have a good reason for being late!"

Minato sighed. "Well, Obito, just get here _earlier_ next time. Or we'll go and do the missions _without_ you. We had to skip out on a mission because you weren't here."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his Uchiha teammate. "A shinobi must remember the mission comes first."

Obito sulked. "Rule-following freak," he muttered under his breath.

A few moments passed, then suddenly Obito tripped on a rock - _Who put that rock there?! _- and crashed into the startled Kakashi.

Dust flew up from the ground.

"Nice one, baka."

"Kakashi, you jerk!"

* * *

I guess I'll be posting the oneshots in pairs. Review!

alolha123


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